Atalanta 3-1 Venezia: four goals in 37 minutes, then Elmas is sent off
Atalanta beat Venezia 3-1 at the New Balance Arena on 12 October 2026, with all four goals inside the first 37 minutes and Eljif Elmas sent off late on.
Atalanta beat Venezia 3-1 at the New Balance Arena on 12 October 2026. All four goals came in the first 37 minutes, from Franck Kessie, Nikola Krstovic (twice) and Antoine Hainaut, and Eljif Elmas was sent off for Atalanta on 89 minutes, according to Pacy's match stats.
Four goals in 37 minutes
The match had two goals inside the first six minutes. Kessie put Atalanta ahead in the 4th minute with a right-footed shot from the right side of the box, set up by a through ball from Krstovic. Two minutes later Krstovic headed home from the centre of the box into the top left corner, from an Elmas cross after a corner.
Krstovic struck again in the 30th minute with a right-footed shot from the centre of the box, making it 3-0. Venezia's only goal followed in the 37th minute, when Hainaut headed in from the right side of the six-yard box from a Richie Sagrado cross. It was 3-1 at half-time, and the second half produced no goals.
The numbers behind it
Venezia had the ball far more, with 63.9% possession and 526 accurate passes from 580. Atalanta had the sharper end of the game: 22 shots to Venezia's 19, and 11 on goal against four. Three of those 11 went in, so the scoreline reflects Atalanta's finishing more than their share of the ball.
Venezia were more accurate with long balls, completing 32 of 43 against Atalanta's 17 of 41, and made eight effective tackles from 13, while Atalanta made three from 11.
| Stat | Atalanta | Venezia |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 36.1% | 63.9% |
| Shots | 22 | 19 |
| Shots on goal | 11 | 4 |
| Accurate passes | 276 of 332 | 526 of 580 |
| Accurate crosses | 7 of 17 | 6 of 28 |
| Corner kicks | 8 | 7 |
| Fouls | 14 | 6 |
| Offsides | 0 | 5 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 2 |
| Red cards | 1 | 0 |
| Saves | 3 | 7 |
Source: Pacy's match stats.
Discipline ran the other way. Atalanta committed 14 fouls to Venezia's six but picked up no yellow cards. Venezia were booked twice, Matias Moreno in the 18th minute and Juan Jesus in the 42nd, both for bad fouls.
Standout performers
Krstovic was the main attacking presence, with two goals and seven shots. Kessie is credited with 32 accurate passes alongside his opener, and Marco Carnesecchi made three saves for Atalanta. For Venezia, John Yeboah had five shots and Simon Sohm completed 69 accurate passes.
Atalanta also made changes through injury. Play stopped in the 64th minute for Raoul Bellanova, who was replaced by Lorenzo Bernasconi in the 67th, when Giorgio Scalvini also came off injured for Sead Kolasinac. Venezia lost Thierry Correia to injury in the 8th minute, with Sagrado coming on for him. Elmas's red card came with Atalanta already 3-1 up.
Where the sides stood
Going into the match, Atalanta were 11th in Pacy's Serie A table on six points from five games, with a goal difference of -2. Their previous three league games were all defeats: 0-2 at Juventus, 1-2 at home to Cagliari and 1-2 at Roma. Across their previous five games in all competitions they won twice and lost three times, scoring four and conceding six.
Venezia were 20th, with no points from five games and a goal difference of -9. They had lost all five of their previous games, scoring five and conceding 13. Inter and Lazio led the table on 16 points from six games.
The three points end Atalanta's run of three league defeats and take them from six points to nine. Venezia remain without a point.